Port Austin gets $500,000 grant

Erin Klema

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, December 7, 2008

PORT AUSTIN — Big plans are set for this village at the tip of the Thumb, as village officials discovered Wednesday that Port Austin was awarded $500,000 in grant funding for its waterfront development project.

The Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund (DNRTF) grant will help fund a $1.7 million redevelopment project for Veterans Waterfront Park, which includes the addition of a public restroom, a pavilion shelter and walking and bicycle paths that will connect to the adjacent harbor, which is owned and operated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Waterways Division.

Also, construction — which will begin in the spring — will lower the park to sidewalk level, so Lake Huron can be viewed from the village sidewalks and by motorists along M-25.

“We are a shoreline community, but you could drive through Port Austin without seeing the lake,” said John Pridnia, a Port Austin resident who helped the village secure the grant funding.

The Port Austin resident said there will also be a turn around parking area, where visitors can watch the sun set and observe the boats on the lake. The plans include a public bathing beach with a sand volleyball court, as well as repositioning and expanding the playground equipment and additional park benches and picnic tables. All of the trees will be saved, as well.

“It’s going to be great for the tourists,” Pridnia said. “It’s going to be great for the residents.”

Funding for the project will be partially off-set by $620,000 in state grants, including the $500,000 DNRTF moneys awarded this week.

“It’s a huge Christmas present for Port Austin,” Pridnia said.

The village previously received a $100,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and a $20,000 from DEQ Coastal Management. The balance to fund the project will be paid by the village.

“We are just ecstatic,” Village President Tony Loewe said in regard to the grant funding that allows the village to move forward with this project.

The village was able to secure these grant funds within a nine months time period, which Pridnia said was much earlier than expected.

“The annual awarding of trust fund grants by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a very competitive process,” Pridnia said. “This year over 100 communities statewide applied for trust fund grants.”

Pridnia said of the 106 communities to apply for DNRTF grants, only 47 received grants from the $12,902,500 awarded this year.

Pridnia, who attended all DNRTF board meetings this year, said the board granted funds to communities with projects the public could access and utilize, such as bike trails and public parks.

“I am so pleased that the Michigan trust fund board members and the Department of Natural Resources staff gave the Port Austin project such strong support, so as to allow the awarding of this $500,000 grant,” Pridnia said. “The village of Port Austin and all who worked on this effort should be very proud.”

Port Austin is also expecting improvements at the harbor. Pridnia said the DNR also plans to lower the level of the harbor’s parking lot, making the view of the lake and docks visible from the village’s main intersection at Lake and Spring streets.

This improvement is part of a $3.7 million project, which also includes updating the public restrooms, reconfiguring the parking area for vehicles and boats, improving the boat launch facility and repositioning the electrical building and dumpsters.

Also included in the three year improvement project, will be the addition of new floating docks with improved electrical access points for boaters, an improved pump out station for waste and the installation of cable outlets to appeal to transient boaters. These additional improvements are not covered by the $3.7 million, Pridnia said.

Casey Bruce, village council member, said the improvements to the waterfront and harbor will attract boaters and tourists who will spend money in the village at the downtown shops and local restaurants.

“I think it’s going to beautify the area,” said Todd Gordon, Downtown Development Authority chairperson, adding the additional parking at the waterfront and at the Visitor Center will increase public access to not only the lake, but will also increase access to the downtown business district.

Village officials called the project a local stimulus package. While the construction will not necessarily create new jobs, local businesses will have the opportunity to place bids for the job, Pridnia said.

Port Austin also received a $70,000 grant earlier this year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to add a covered pavilion to its Farmers Market grounds and old gymnasium, which will be utilized for the Port Austin Farmers Market and other community events.

Plans also include moving the old civic center to a new location, and the village is developing a brand new visitor center at the intersection of Lake and Spring streets.